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FLL is an amazing, great and educational experience. FLL stands for FIRST LEGO League. There are seven people on each team competing on LEGO robotics. Teams are scored on: the programs robots complete, teamwork and research. You cannot just research whatever you want, you have to research something with the theme.

Recently, a select few of Bear Essential News Young Reporters were chosen to take part in a program to be paired up with one University of Arizona science graduate student. I was able to work with Cassandra Lejoly, who is studying to obtain a Ph.D. in Planetary Sciences.

Do you know how to think like a river? According to Jan Schipper, a Post-Doctoral Fellow at ASU, to think like a river you have to have the touch of nature. Do you know what a watershed is? A watershed is like snow at the top of a mountain then melted and forms a river or stream, and that’s how rivers are formed.

Rivers connect to many things and they shape the mountains, too. For example, the Grand Canyon wouldn’t look like it does now without the Colorado River. Desert Rivers will fill up during monsoon season but will dry up quickly later in the year.

You can tell Luca, a new Phoenix-based magazine, is different the minute you see it. Christine Robertson, the CEO, explains that Luca is Italian for “bringer of light.” As you hold the magazine the gloss title does just that, it reflects the light. The magazine is different inside as well. Of course Luca is filled with the professional photo layouts and articles on fashion and make-up that are fun to flip through, but it is so much more. Robertson saw the need for a more positive message for girls and Luca is the result.

As kids, our parents, teachers, and others often ask us what we want to be when we grow up. Each time I’m asked, the answer has always remained the same—I want to work with marine life!

Over the past two years, I’ve been able to get closer and closer to my end goal via various internship and shadowing opportunities. The most recent was at OdySea Aquarium in Scottsdale, and it was an experience of a lifetime!

What were a lot of fellow Arizonans doing on Dec. 4? Taking part in the Hot Chocolate Run!

The Hot Chocolate Run is a race where runners can choose from a 5K run or a 15K run. Each group of runners runs around Scottsdale and finishes near the Talking Stick Resort. The race raises money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Phoenix.